Modeling Dynamic Walkability to Support Time-Based Route Planning for Older Adults

Abstract. Walkability assessments for elderly pedestrians are often based on static representations of the built environment, overlooking temporal variations that influence walking conditions throughout the day. This study develops a network-based dynamic walkability framework that integrates static infrastructural characteristics with time-dependent environmental factors to capture spatiotemporal variability in pedestrian suitability. The approach combines sidewalk and arcade-based pedestrian networks with dynamic variables, including traffic, air quality index (AQI), temperature, humidity, shade, and lighting, evaluated at two time periods (12:00 and 17:00) across weekdays and weekends in three urban contexts in Tainan, Taiwan: a hospital area, a university campus, and a residential neighborhood. Results indicate clear spatial differences, with hospital and campus areas showing higher baseline walkability than residential areas. Dynamic analysis reveals temporal variation, with improvements ranging from approximately 3–8% in institutional environments to over 10% in residential areas. Segment-level results further show that temporal factors can alter pedestrian suitability, particularly in areas with limited infrastructure. Route-based validation demonstrates that the model generates alternative paths that prioritize safety and environmental comfort over the shortest distance. Compared to Google Maps routes, the proposed approach achieves higher average walkability, with improvements ranging from approximately 5% to over 15%, particularly in residential areas. These findings highlight the limitations of static and shortest-path approaches and emphasize the importance of incorporating temporal dynamics. The proposed framework supports time-sensitive routing and age-friendly urban planning strategies.